PM fulfilling his promise towards PoK refugees: BJP

Jammu: With the distribution of cheques amounting to Rs 5.5 lakh each among families of the displaced persons of 1947, 1965 and 1971 under 'Prime Minister's Development Plan' for PoK refugees, the BJP state unit today said that the process for providing assistance to these people has officially been kicked off by the coalition government.

"The process for providing assistance to displaced persons of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) refugees of 1947, 1965 and 1971 has officially been kicked off by the BJP-PDP coalition government in Jammu & Kashmir," BJP State Spokesperson Balbir Ram Rattan said in a handout here.

It was indeed a historic moment for the PoK displaced persons, whose three generations have perished while agitating for decades after they left their homes and hearths besides losing their family members, he said.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had during the 2014 general elections promised to consider and fulfill the demands of the PoK displaced persons of 1947, 65 and 71.

Within two years of taking over as Prime Minister, he has kept his promise and provided Rs 2000 crore as assistance to be distributed among the affected families residing in the state, he said.

He said that it has been most unfortunate that despite ruling the country for maximum period after independence, the Congress did nothing for the welfare and development of the displaced persons from PoK.

He said that the long pending issue now stands resolved with the continuous efforts of the BJP as coalition partner in the state government, which had been building pressure and kept reminding the Prime Minister about the genuine demand of the displaced persons from PoK.

The BJP spokesperson said that the Modi-led government at the Centre in January 2015, had given its nod to certain concessions for the refugees from West Pakistan residing in Jammu and Kashmir considering the problems faced by them.

Equal employment opportunities, special recruitment drives for induction into paramilitary forces, admission for the children of refugees in Kendriya Vidyalayas, to mention a few, were a part of the concessions granted by the union government.

Balbir said that party has always fully supported the demands of the displaces persons and West Pakistan refugees living in Jammu and Kashmir, who have faced discrimination for the last six decades.